SEPTA Investigates After Man Seen Hanging From Moving Train in Philadelphia

A man was seen hanging from a moving train in Philadelphia, sparking outrage.

A video showing a man clinging to the outside of a moving SEPTA train has prompted a police investigation in Philadelphia, after the footage spread across social media.

The man was seen crouching and swaying while holding onto the back of an L train traveling westbound between the 40th Street and 46th Street stations, according to SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch. Investigators are now working to identify him.

The incident was brought to SEPTA’s attention after the video was posted online on Tuesday, September 15. Authorities have not determined exactly when the stunt took place, and no injuries have been reported.

Passengers stunned by the stunt

The footage was recorded by passengers inside the train and later circulated online, with the clip accompanied by the “Spider-Man” theme music.

Passengers who saw the man riding outside the train described the behavior as extremely dangerous.

The man crouched and swayed as he clung onto the back of the train.

“Never seen nothing like that, that’s madness,” Germantown passenger Edquardo Chinnell told WPVI.

Another passenger, Cody Langley, said the stunt put the man on “a thin line of life and death” because of the number of things that could go wrong.

SEPTA Police Capt. Marc Pasquarella said he could not understand why someone would willingly put themselves in such danger.

“It’s insane. It’s extremely dangerous,” Pasquarella said, warning that a fall could result in serious injury or death.

Police fear copycat stunts

SEPTA police are examining the video for clues that could help identify the person involved. Investigators have already used details in the footage to determine the train’s route and narrow down where the man boarded.

Authorities are particularly concerned that the viral footage could encourage others to attempt similar stunts.

Pasquarella said the danger goes beyond a potential fall from the train. Riders can also face the risk of electrocution, while the exterior surfaces of moving trains can be unstable or slippery.

“There will be copycats,” Pasquarella warned, according to WPVI.

The investigation remains ongoing as police work to determine the man’s identity and establish exactly when the incident occurred.

Similar incidents have ended in serious injury and death

The Philadelphia video comes amid continued concern over so-called subway surfing, in which people ride on the outside or roof of moving trains.

In July, a 16-year-old girl survived after striking an overhead beam while riding on top of a southbound A train in Queens. Two months earlier, a 14-year-old boy died during a subway-surfing incident involving a train on the Williamsburg Bridge.

Those cases highlight the dangers authorities are warning about in Philadelphia: moving at high speed, unstable exterior surfaces, overhead structures and electrified sections of track can all turn a stunt into a potentially fatal incident.

For now, SEPTA police are focused on identifying the man seen in the viral video while continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ride.